ROMANTIC IMAGERY IN THE NOVELS OF CHARLOTTE BRONTE

ROMANTIC IMAGERY IN THE NOVELS OF CHARLOTTE BRONTE

ROMANTIC IMAGERY IN THE NOVELS OF.. CHARLOTTE BRONTE Cynthia A. Linder M MACMILLAN

Cynthia A. Linder 1978 Softcover reprint of the hardcover I st edition All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First edition 1978 Reprinted 1985 Published by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LIMITED Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG212XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world 1978 978-0-333-23671-0 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Linder, Cynthia A Romantic imagery in the novels of Charlotte Bronte I. Bronte, Charlotte- Criticism and interpretation I. Title 823'.8 PR4169 ISBN 978-1-349-03746-9 ISBN 978-1-349-03744-5 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-03744-5

For Eugenie and Constance

Contents Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations viii ix 1 The Evolution of Form 1 2 The Professor 7 3 Jane Eyre 31 4 Shirley 68 5 Villette g8 6 Conclusion u6 Notes and Refereflces 130 Select Bibliography 132 Index 135

Acknowledgements The basis for this study was established during a period of sabbatical leave spent at the University of Exeter, England, and I would like to record my indebtedness to my own university, Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa, and, in particular, to the Principal, Professor G. van N. Viljoen, for having granted me the necessary leave to undertake this work. I also wish to acknowledge my appreciation of the financial grant awarded to me by the Human Sciences Research Council of the Republic of South Africa. Furthermore, I wish to thank the members of staff of the Department of English of the University of Exeter for their assistance, and, in particular, my tutor, Mr M. Jones, whose guidance and helpful criticism have been very valuable. Whatever faults this study may have, these are entirely the responsibility of the writer. The library staffs of both universities, as well as of the Bronte Parsonage Museum, have also been unfailing in their assistance in providing background material, and their patience in dealing with my requests is much appreciated. My thanks to the publishers who have allowed me to use material from their published works. Though they are too numerous to list here, their permission has been acknowledged individually in the 'Notes and References' section. Finally, my thanks to a colleague, Dr A. M. Potter, who has carefully read through the text, and pointed out the most obvious errors. July r977 C.A.L.

List of Abbreviations All references to the text of the Bronte novels, and to Mrs Gaskell's Life of Charlotte Bronte, have been taken from the Haworth edition of The Life and Works of Charlotte Bronte and Her Sisters, edited by Mrs H. Ward and C. K. Shorter, and published in seven volumes by John Murray, 1920. References to passages in particular novels are indicated by quoting chapter numbers in roman numerals. The following abbreviations have also been used, with the page number of the cited author. Allott: Miriam Allott, The Brontes: The Critical Heritage, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1974. BST: Bronte Society Transactions. Gaskell: Mrs E. C. Gaskell, The Life of Charlotte Bronte, volume VII of the Haworth edition. Gerin: Dr W. Gerin, Charlotte Bronte: The Evolution of Genius, Oxford University Press, 1967. (By permission of the Oxford University Press.) PMLA: Publications of the Modern Language Association of America. Shorter: C. K Shorter, The Brontes and Their Circle, J. M. Dent, 1914